S.A. fashionistas take in industry's big shows

San Antonio's fashion maven Tony Harris and couturier Angelina Mata attend the Bespoken fashion presentation at the Lincoln Center where New York Fashion Week's spring 2013 collections are being showcased.

NEW YORK — San Antonio's well-known couturier Angelina Mata and fashion producer Tony Harris have been spotted making the rounds here at the Fashion Week spring 2013 collections at Lincoln Center.

Mata said she will present her spring collection of 10 designs on custom-made mannequins at Manhattan's White Box venue between Soho and Chinatown in early November, opting not to show during Fashion Week.

Last spring, Mata made her debut during New York Fashion Week with a collection that drew raves for its artistry and innovative silhouettes and use of textiles.

For her upcoming show, she will debut a film of her designs that was shot in Marfa. It will be screened during her presentation.

She was coy not to give too much away about her forthcoming collection but did offer one word about it: "creatures." (Last year, she buried fabric in order to antiquate it before she turned it into delicate goddesslike gowns.)

She said she is especially excited about the mannequins-in-progress that are being created for her show; they will be shipped from the Alamo City to New York. The show is scheduled for sometime after the presidential election.

Harris, a well-known fashion publicist, runs the Tony Harris productions company back home. He's planning on producing Fashion Week San Antonio next month and has been inspired by the shows he attended, including Derek Lam, Tommy Hilfiger, Son Jun Wan and Monique Lhuillier.

He said fashion week will be spread out at several locations, and he's eager to involve local retailers, among them Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Julian Gold, Sloan Hall and the newly opened Elaine Turner handbag and accessories boutique in Alamo Heights.

A kick-off party is slated at Pearl Brewery. Also in the works is an avant-garde going-green fashion show, he said.

Harris said he is the mayor's appointee for the Arts &amp; Cultural Advisory Board, representing the city's fashion industry. He said he'll meet with folks from the cultural affairs office next week to discuss their involvement with fashion week.